Apps

Runkeeper’s latest update lets you record your runs directly on Apple Watch

Runkeeper has refreshed its iPhone application with a fully native watchOS 2 app so you can record your runs and heart rates directly on your Apple Watch, without needing to bring your iPhone with you. If you typically go running with an iPhone strapped to your arm, you'll appreciate phone-free jogging with the new Runkeeper.

In other changes, new post-activity music analytics will create a full rundown of your playlist and your pace for each song after you've finished your run.

Chrome picks up iPad split-screen multitasking support in latest update

Google today pushed a small update to its Chrome mobile browser in the App Store. The new edition, officially bumped to version number 46.0.2490.73, brings support for iOS 9's new Split View multitasking mode on the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 and iPad Pro.

Moreover, Slide Over multitasking view and Picture-in-Picture video mode are supported in this Chrome edition as well. These are certainly welcomed additions for those of you who do a lot of research online as you can now browse the web with Chrome and run another app like Notes side-by-side.

Instagram releases Boomerang, a Live Photos-like iPhone app for creating looping clips

Facebook-owned Instagram is taking on Live Photos, one of Apple's headline iPhone 6s features, with a brand new 1-second video loop app called Boomerang. Available free of charge in the App Store, Boomerang aims to turn everyday moments into “something fun and unexpected.”

The app couldn't be simpler. You just point your iPhone's front or rear camera and press a button to take a burst of ten photos.

Boomerang then stitches the individual images together into a one-second sped-up video that plays forward and backward in a looping manner, similar in appearance and function to Apple's Live Photos feature.

Fleksy keyboard introduces custom theme photo builder in new update

Fleksy Keyboard, one of the most popular software keyboards in the App Store, has received a major update this morning. The update to the freemium app strives to solve the problem of users constantly demanding that developers add an ever-growing collection of new UI themes to the app, so they've added a new custom theme photo builder feature to Fleksy Keyboard 7.0.

The ability to personalize the keyboard has been one of the top requests from users, Fleksy says, and has prompted the company to come up with a system for users to build exactly the keyboard that suits their liking, and even share their creations with friends and other Fleksy users.

Find my Friends web app launches on iCloud.com

In addition to today's major releases of iOS 9.1, OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 and watchOS 2.0.1 software updates, it appears that iCloud has gained a brand new web app: Find My Friends.

With both Find My iPhone and Find My Friends now preloaded on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices with iOS 9.0 or later, it does make sense to add Find My Friends to Apple's stable of web apps given iCloud's long had the web version of the Find My iPhone app.

As Mac app will be revamped soon, Twitter starts rolling out polls in tweets

Twitter today said that it'll be rolling out the ability to embed custom polls in tweets to all users over the next few days.

Originally tested with a small subset of its user base, polls in tweets will permit everyone to interact with their followers and get the public's opinion on just about anything by embedding customized polls in tweets.

In addition, Twitter's Mac app will be getting a thorough revamp soon with a new dark mode alongside a bunch of new features borrowed from the mobile edition of the software, including in-line Vine and video playback, photos in Direct Messages and in-line replies and much more.

Facebook rolls out Instant Articles to all iOS users

After rolling out Instant Articles to a tiny subset of its 1.3 billion active user base back in May of this year, the social networking leader Facebook today said these quick-loading articles are available to all users of its mobile application for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.

Thousands of Instant Articles, each denoted with a lightning bolt in the top right corner of the News Feed story, will be available at launch and more will be added on a regular basis. Facebook claims Instant Articles load up to ten times faster than a standard mobile web article.

Waze 4.0 is out with fresh look, revamped map, reduced battery consumption and more

Waze, the popular social-mapping location data startup, today pushed a major update to its GPS, maps and social traffic application in the App Store.

Featuring a refreshed design and cleaner maps with emphasis on safer driving, the new Waze 4.0 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad also brings reduced battery consumption allowing the app to run longer in the background, and much more.

Some App Store apps found to gather personal information, Apple acts swiftly

As many as 256 iPhone, iPod touch and iPad applications in the App Store, a majority of them from Chinese developers, have been found to violate Apple's privacy policy by gathering personal information such as email addresses, installed apps and even serial numbers, an analysis by security analytics startup SourceDNA has found out.

In addition, the offending apps, which obviously went under the radar of Apple's App Store editorial team, have been found to collect other personally identifying information that can be used to track users.

Best apps of the week: Subterfuge, Live GIF, Focus, and more

What a great week for iMac news. If you are thinking about upgrading to the new 5K model, now is the time. We're also excited about Apple's new Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad 2. In the meantime, more amazing content gets added to the App Store every day.

If you are looking for some new apps and games to keep you connected all weekend long, we've got a list you might want to check out.

Sky Gamblers Air Supremacy goes free as Apple’s App of the Week

Heads up gamers. Apple has just named Atypical Games' "Sky Gamblers Air Supremacy" its App of the Week for this week. This means that from now through next Thursday, you'll be able to grab the game for both your iPhone and iPad, for free—saving you a buck.

For those unfamiliar with the Sky Gamblers franchise, they're airborne fighters hailed for their incredible graphics and console-quality gameplay. Supremacy in particular has an in-depth campaign mode and various multiplier modes to choose from like capture-the-flag.